Driving-gear for automobiles.



DRIVING GEAR FOR AUTOMOBILES. APPLICATION FILED JAN. 2, 1907.

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PATENTED APR. 21, 1908. H. e. MoGOMB. DRIVING GEAR FOR AUTOMOBILES.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 2, 1907,

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

INVEN TOR Altorneys.

H. G. MoGOMB. DRIVING GEAR FOR AUTOMOBILES.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 2, 1907,

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

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INV EN TOR HENRY G. MCCOMB, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

DRIVING-GEAR FOR AUTOMOBILES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 21, 1908.

Application filed January 2, 1907. Serial No. 360,441.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY GOODMAN MoCoMB, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Detroit, county of Wayne, State of Michigan, haveinvented a certain new and useful Im rovement in Driving-Gears forAutomobi es, and declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the same, such as will enable others skilled in the artto which itpertains to make and use the same, reference being had to theaccompanymg drawings, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to driving gears for automobiles.

It has for its object an improved driving gear, which includes what iscommonly nown as transmission and differential gears, ap licable for usewith very heavy trucks.

no object 'of the invention is to produce a driving gear by which therate of speed of the vehicle can be varied.

Anotherobject is to produce a driving gear by which the application ofthe power is made to both of the wheels at the rear of the car, and atthe same time, provision is made to enable either of the ultimatelydriven vehicle wheels to move with an angular velocity, differing fromthat of its companion wheel.

Another object is to roduce a motive power which may be entirelydisconnected om the truck wheels and connected with another transmissionwheel by which the power of the motor can be utilized as a stationarymotor.

In the drawings :Figure 1, shows the transmission gear and the auxiliarymechan- 1SII1 for disconnecting the transmission gear from the vehiclewheels and connecting it at will to a driving wheel. Fig. 2, is an endvlew of the transmission mechanism shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3, is a sectionlengthwise of the vehicle axle; it shows the means employed to connectthe transmission gear to the axle.

The transmission gear is of the character known as a sliding geartransmission mechanism; the main driving shaftA has fixed upon it,wheels of different diameters B, C, D, and E; these wheels and theportion-of the shaft upon which they are fixed are includedin a case 2in which there is mounted a counter shaft W; upon the counter shaft ares lined a number of hubs carryin gear whee s F, G, H and K, equal innumber to the fixed wheels upon the shaft A, and of proper diameter tointermesh each with a companion gear; thus the gear F may intermesh withthe gear B, the gear G may intermesh with the gear C, the gear H mayintermesh with the gear I), and the gear K may intermesh with the gearE. If it is desired to obtain a reverse movement of the shaft W, somesuch well known means as an idler gear thrown into mesh with both R andE may be resorted to. The gears F and G are mounted upon a hub 3,provided with a suitable groove 4 by means of which the hub and the gearmounted thereon may be caused to travel along the shaft W, but the hubitself is splined to the shaft W and the hub and the gear mountedthereon rotate with the shaft. The wheels H and K are mounted uponanother hub 5 splined to the shaft W but movable longitudinally thereonand moved by the ap lication of a lever to the groove 6 of the hulitheforks which engage the hubs 3 and 5 are not shown in the drawing, asthe mechanism thus far described is in common use.

The shaft A isv extended through a diaphragm 7 that crosses the easing?and is provided on its projecting end (which projects into a secondcasing) with a clutch member L. Within the casing or frame 9 is mounteda shaft Y in axial alinement with the shaft A; upon this shaft ismounted at one end a transmission gear wheel Neither a gear or asprocket gear, bevel gear, or a Worm, as may be most applicable to thepurpose for which it is to be used. Upon the end of the shaft Y which isadjacent to the clutch member L is a sliding clutcli member M splined tothe shaft Y and controlled by a fork P that engages in the groove 10 onthe end of the sleeve which forms part of the clutch member M. All ofthe possibly intermeshing gears in the case 2 may be thrown out ofengagement so that the motion of the ,shaft A is not transmitted to theshaft W and contemporaiieously, if desired, the clutch members L and Mmay be shifted mto engagement and under such conditions of the icemachine, the power generally and normally employed for actuating thevehicle may be employed for other purposes, and the motor power may thusbe utilized after the manner of a donkey engine.

When the motor power is employed for actuating the vehicle, it istransmitted through the shaft W andthrough an extension 1110xternal tothe diaphragm 7. In the frame, or in the case 9, there is fixed, on theshaft 11 by on the countershaft 21.1

the key 13, a hub 12, in which are fixed the studs 14, which carry theidler bevel gears 15. The idler bevel gears 15 mesh with bevels 17 and18, which are inclosed-in the case or frame 16. Keyed to the bevel gears17 and 18 are the sleeve gears S and T. This forms a balanced, ordiflerential gear, so that under certain conditions S and T rotate atequal speeds, at the same rate as the shaft 11, but under otherconditions they may rotate at different s eeds, either in relation toeach other or to t e'shaftll.

The sleeve ear S meshes with the gear U, which is fixed to'thecountershaft 19. At the end of the countershaft 19 is a universal joint,the casing of which is marked 20. The sleeve gear T meshes with a gear'Vmounted The rotation of the shaft 11 is transmitted to the pinions S andT. The rotation of the inion S is transmitted to the shaft 19; t erotation of the pinion T is transmitted tothe shaft 21; these shafts 19and 21 are coupled, by universal couplings (which are contained in thehousings 20, 24 and 25) and by shafts'22 and 23 to extension shafts 26and 27 each of the shafts 26 and 27 has mounted on its end a bevel ear.The bevel gear 28 on the end of the shaft 26 meshes with the bevel gear30 on the inner end of the half axle 32 of the truck; the bevel gear 29on the end of the shaft 27 meshes with a bevel gear 31 mounted on theinner end of the half axle 33', the two half axles, 32, 33, constitutethe rear axle of the truck. The two adjacent ends of the truck axle, thebevel gears mounted thereon, and the bevel gears 28 and 29 by which thehalf axles are driven are all included in an oil tight case 34; the endsof which case form hollow axles upon which are mounted the truck wheels35 and 36. The wheels, themselves, are preferably mounted on rollerbearings; one wheel is driven by a connection 37 between the axle 33 andthehub of the wheel 35, the companion wheel is driven by a connection 38between the axle 32 and the hub of the wheel 36. With this construction,each driving wheel of the vehicle is actuated by its'own driving shaftand the intermeshing connections between the two may be made larger andstronger, and for this reason, less liable to break or strip.

The force transmitted through the interconnecting parts is only thatrequired to drive the single wheel, and the wear on the connecting partsis correspondingly decreased from What it would be, were all the powerrequired to drive the wheels transmitted through a single shaft. Underconditions making it necessary to allow for a different axial velocityof the two truck wheels, the difierence in axial speeds of the twosenses wheels is taken up in the difierential gearin em loyd between thesleeve gears S and at I claim is v 1. In combination a ower shaft, aplurality of gear wheels fixed thereto, a counter shaft, complementarygear wheels carried thereby and adapted to be thrown into and out ofoperative connection with said first mentioned gear Wheels, apluralityof driving wheel mechanisms, each deriving their power therefromindependently of the other, and a second counter shaft axially in linewith the power shaft and adapted to be thrown into clutching engagementtherewith to receive from it the power ordinarily transmitted to thefirst named counter shaft, substantially as described.

2. The combination of a shaft W through gear wheel thereon meshing withone of said gear wheels, a second counter-shaft, a gear wheel thereonmeshing with the other of said gear Wheels, the severed halves of anaxle, and connections inde endently couplin the halves of said axle witsaid counter-shafts.

3. The combination of a shaft W through which power is transmitted, twoparts of a balanced gear sleeved on said shaft, means for transmittingpower from said shaft to said parts of the balanced gear, a gear wheelupon each of said parts,a counter-shaft, a' 'gear wheel thereon meshingwith one of said gear wheels, a second counter-shaft, a gear wheelthereon meshing with the other of said gear wheels, the severed halvesof an axle, connections independently coupling the halves of said axlewith said counter-shafts, and a variable speed mechanism for driving theshaft W.

4. In combination with a power shaft, a counter shaft axially inalinement therewith,

means for throwing the same into and out of operative connection withthe ower shaft, a second counter shaft parallel w1th the power shaft andadapted to be thrown into and out of operative connection therewith, anda plurality of independently acting transmission means deriving theiractuation therefrom ada ted to contemporaneously actuate indivi ualmechanical members, substantially as described.

.In testimony whereof, I sign this specification in the presence of twowitnesses.

HENRY G. MoCOMB.

Witnesses:

CHARLES F. BURTON, MAY E. Ko'r'r.

